Improved tile-machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M'. BAR'TLETT, OF LA SALIIE, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVED TILE-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. BARTLETT, of La Salle, in the county of Monroe and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Tile-Machine 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication, in which- Figure 1 represents a vertical central seetion of my invention, taken in the linew a, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same, looking upward, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

Thisinven tion relates to anew and improved machine for manufaeturin g tiles 5 and it consists in an improved means for operating the plunger and cutotfs,as hereinafter fully set forth, whereby several advantages are obtained over the tile machines now in use, as hereinafter specified.

A represents an ordinary clay or pug mill, which is placed on a cast-iron rectangular box, B, and secured thereto by screw rods d or any other suitable means.

C is a heavy iron shaft, placed centrally and vertically within the clay or pug mill7 its lower end having a bearing ina bed-plate, I), at the bottom ofthe pug-mill and passing through said plate, the upper bearing of said shaft being in a plate, E, on the top of the pug-mill.

F represents a cut-off, composed of a metal plate which works under the bed-plate D and rests upon the plunger G, the latter being titted within the box B of hollow or open form, it simply having a bottom, a, two vertical ends, b b, and a horizontal top piece, c o, at each end, there being no sides. The cut off rests upon the top pieces, c c, and it has an oblong slot, d, made in it to allow the lower end of the shaft C to pass through, said slot admitting of a requisite reciprocating movement of the cut-oft'. On the lower end of the shalt U there is keyed a circular disk, H, which is within the plunger G, and has a wrist-pin, I, attached to it and at abou ttive inches from its center. On this wrist-piu I there is fitted loosely a collar, J to which two chains, K K, are attached. The outer ends of these chains are provided with a screw, e, and these screws pass loosely through the ends b b of the plunger G, and have nuts j' on their outer ends, as shown in both figures. On the upper surface of the disk H there is a cam, L, which operates the cnt-oitl F by working against rollers g g at the under side of the cut-off.

M M are the packingboxes, which communicate with the pug-mil1 A by means of openings h h, which the cut-off F alternately opens and closes. At the end of each packing-box there is a die, N, constructed in the usual way.

The shaft U of the pug-mill is provided with the usual pressing-knife, O, at its lower end, and with a suitable number of arms, P, above O.

The operation is as follows: The shaft B is rotated by any convenient power, and the clay in the pug-mill A'is forced through the open issue h in the bedplate D and into the packing-box M underneath. rIhe cam L now acts against one of the rollers g and moves the cutoi' F so as to close the issue h which was open, said cut off then forming a part of the top of the paeking'box, the other issue Il, which was closed, being opened simultaneously with the closing of the issue first mentioned. At about a quarter of a turn of the shaft, after the cam starts the cut 0E, one of the chains K tightens, and the plunger G :follows the direction in which the cut-off was moved and passes the charge through the die N. At theinstant the charge is expelled from one box M (the shaft C having made half a revolution to effect it) the pressing-knife 0 passes over the open issue IL of the packingbox at theopposite end of the plunger and tills it, and the cam and plunger, following the rotation of shaft C, act as before. Two charges the shaft.

and it operates well, making two thousand two-inch tiles per hour. It requires less power to operate it than the ordinary machines in use. It is simple in its working parts, and the latter may be made stron g and durable to prevent breakage. The distance traveled by the plunger is extremely shorta result due to the cut-oit' closing the issues and pressing the clay directly underneath the same, and also by using the chain-pitmen. In using a cam the thrust of the latter would be one-half the Idiameter of the circle the outer end describes; `but willi the chains I get three quarters the are therefore delivered at each revolution of This invention has been practically tested,

diameter described by the crank-pin, lthereby l effecting a saving in power. I also effect a saving in power in consequence-of the crankpin I passing` the right-angular position With the plunger before the latter starts, and the motion of the latter gradually decreases until it ceases at the dead-point. Finally, the packingfboxes are allowed free ventilation by means ofthe loose screw-rods e in the ends b of the plunger, all suction being relieved in said packing-boxes as the plunger recedes in them.

Having thus described in y invention7 I claim as new and desii e to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The employment or use, in a machine for making tiles, of chains K K or other equivalent flexible pitmen for actuating the plunger Gr, substantially as set forth.

2. The cam L, in combination with the cntoli' F, when arranged in relation with the issues h h, substantially as shown and described, to admit of said issues being alternately opened and closed at the proper time, and also to admit of' the clay being discharged from the packing-boxes directly under the issues, and thereby limit or shorten the movement of the plunger Gr, as set forth.

3. Attaching the chains or flexible pitmen K K to the end pieces, b b, of the plunger by means ot the screw-rods c e and nuts ff, to admit ofthe ventilation of the packingboxes, as specified. i SAMUEL M. BARTLETT.

XVitnesses: Y

W. W. PnEN'rIcE, W. WV. FIsHBURN. 

